Pleasant or Unpleasant

9/8/2009

Jeremiah 42:6 6 “Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.” New American Standard Bible

It’s a big ask to request God’s will and then commit, whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, to 'listen to the voice of the Lord our God' and obey. It takes courage to ask for something like that. But it takes power, God’s power, to actually do what He instructs, because to ask Him for what He wants and then not do it, is just plain foolish or insanity.

It’s the ‘pleasant or unpleasant’ part that gets to me – I want pleasant. Sometimes God's will smacks against conventional wisdom and smacks of insanity to my puny human thinking. But I’m learning to live with the unpleasant as well and if I'll trust Him, sometimes God’s greatest gifts are wrapped in the consequences of my own stupidity. Unfortunately the Jews who asked Jeremiah for God’s will decided not to do it when it appeared unpleasant; I cannot afford such luxury.

Father in Heaven,

It's not a matter of pleasant or unpleasant – it all boils down to doing what You ask and that is what I ask – to do what You ask. I sometimes pray for a glimpse but I suspect that I may not like what I see, so I’ll simply commit to trusting in Your great love and goodness and the promise that where You lead, whether pleasant or unpleasant, is always and infinitely the best – I give You praise in Jesus’ Name, amen.